St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-15

square miles per year.
A NATURAL MURDERER.
OF all the native birds which habit
ually make their homes near the abode
of man, the martin is the only species
which is able to hold its own against
the SparrOWS, and numerous instances
are on record where even the martin
has been beaten and forced to
abandon its former nesting
places by these belligerent aliens.
The birds which have suffered most
from the English sparrow, and whose
CHEEKY presence in the parks and lawns
in the nesting season we no longer, or
only rarely. enjoy, are the robin, cat
bird, bluebiTd, wren. song sparrow,
chipping sparrow, yellow bird, orioles
vireO and phoebe. Not only does the
sparrow drive away and sometimes kill
the adult birds. but when it finds their
nests it throws out the eggs and young,
and not infrequently feaStS upon them.
DIR. 3. Harry Warren, state OrnitholOgiSt
of Pennsylvania, writes: Our native
birds have rapidly and steadily dimin-
iShed in numbers since the SpaTrOWS
came. Former. plentiful residents are
rare. Even transient yiSitantS and mi
grants have been so pursued by the
uSurper that they now seem to avoid
In 1877 saw two cock sparrOws attack a
nest of the Warbling vireo in the alb
sence of the parent birds, pull out one
at time the four half-tledged Occu-
pants, and drop them on the ground.
After partly destroying the nest the
sparrowS alighted Oh the ground beside
their victims. and being reinforced by
several of their kin, proceeded to enjoy
the sanguinary repast."
A DESTROYER OF FRUIT.
In addition to the indirect injury thus
brought about by depriving our gardens
and orchards of the protection afforded
by our native inSectiverOuS birds. the
SparrOwS cause positive and direct loss
TO our agricultural Industries amounting
in the aggregate to not less than several
millions of dollars per annum. The
damage done by the rice bird is limited
to single crop. and takes place during
a few weeks in spring and fall, but the
ravages of the English sparrow atfe ct
almost every crop produced by the
farmer, fruit grower and truck gardener,
and extend over the entire year. Indeed,
it is safe to say that it now eXertS
more marked effect upon the agricutl-
ural interests of this country than any
other species of birds, and its unprece-
denUed increase and spread, tax ell in
connection with the extent Of its raw
ages i'll certain districts, may be re-
garded with grave apprehension. In the
early spring it prevents the growth of a
vast quantity of fruit by eating the
germs from the fruit buds of trees,
bushes and vines. of which the peach,
pear, plum, cherry. apple, apricot. cur
rant and grape suffer most.
Lettuce, peas. beetS, radiShes, cab
hnp OIaI HOY ora ut n
turn. and devOured as soon as they show
their heads above the ground, and iii
many cases the seed is taken out OF the
earth before it is terminated. So eX-
tenSive Is the injury thus done that in
many loo alitieS it has been found nee
eSSary to cover the garden beds with
netting. Whenever the buds are so
fortunate as to escape the ripening fruit
appeals strongly to the sparrow's appe-
tite, and different varieties are attacked.
injured or destroyed in turn as they
mature. All sorts of garden products,
vegetables, berries, grapes, and even
the larger fruits. are greedily fed upon
or mUtilated to such an extent as to
unfit them for til market. The magni-
tude of the havoc wrought in orchards
and vineyards is shown by the melon
chOly accounts given by fruit growers
has become numerous" (HOadley MS.l
DEATH TO GRAPE CULTURE.
The grape industry, which is one of
rapidly increasing consequence in this
country. encounters in the English
sparrow an enemy second only to the
phyllOXera and certain fungus growths.
Already in some parts of the East it has
become such ScOurge that grape cul-
ture can lie no longer carried on with
profit. it being necessary to incl0se the
ripening clusters in bags to insure their
protection. At the end of the. season,
1856, bitter complaints of damage done
the grape crop by sparroWs had reached
the department. from twenty-five states
and the District of Columbia, as fol-
lows: Alabama, Arkansas, California,
Connecticut, District of Columbia,
Georgia. Illinois, Indiana. Kansas, Ken
Massachusetts. Michigan, Mississippi,
New Jersey, New York, North Caro-
lima, Ohio, Pennsylvania. South Caro-
lima, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and
West Verginia.
In California. where this industry is
of paramount Importance, the English
sparrow has taken firm root and is null
tiplying and spreading with OminouS
rapidity. and unless steps are taken 10
wipe out the pest at the earliSt possible
moment the result will entail loss to
the state of many thousands, if not
millions of dollars, In this connection
it is not reassuring to read in the evil
dence collected and published by the
Australian government in 1851, that sin
the short space of ten DAYS the sparr0ws
took ton and half of grapes from
the vine yard of John Chambers. of
South Richland.
AN ENEMY To GRAIN.
Its consumption and waste of corn.
wheat, rye. oats. barley and buckwheat
in many parts of the country is en0r-
nous. 1t feeds upon the kernel when it
is in the soft. milky state. as well as
when it has nIatured and hardened:
and in fields of ripe grain it ScatterS
upon the ground even more than il con-
SumeS. Instances have been reported
where, in the place Of a full or fair crop,
only the straw remained to be gathered.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATION.
The following recommendations are
respectfully submitted to the legislative
bodies of the various states and terri
tories:
First-The immediate repeal of all eX-
listing laws which afford protection to
the English sparrow.
Second-The enactment of laws legal
ling the killing of the English sparrow
at all seasons of the year, and the de-
Struction of its nests. eggs and young.
Third-The enacting of laws making
it misdemeanor, punishable 10y fine
or Imprisonment, or both. (a) to inten-
tionaily give food OF shelter to the Eng
liSh sparrow. except with a view TO its
ultimate destruction: (b1 to introduce or
aid in introducing it into new localities:
(c) to interfere with persons, means or
appliances engaged in or destined for
its destruction or the destruction of it 5